GAM in Milan pays tribute to Angelo Morbelli on the centenary of his death

From March 15 to June 16, 2019, GAM - Galleria d’Arte Moderna di Milano is hosting the exhibition Morbelli 1853 - 1919, on the centenary of the death of Angelo Morbelli (Alessandria, 1853 - Milan, 1919), one of the most important Divisionist painters and more. The exhibition, curated by Paola Zatti with the collaboration of Alessandro Oldani, Giovanna Ginex and Aurora Scotti, aims to offer an in-depth understanding of the artist starting with some masterpieces preserved in the collections of the Milanese museum and is in the furrow of a program aimed at delving into artists and movements that were decisive in the evolutions of art between the 19th and 20th centuries: (recall, from 2014 onward, the monograph dedicated to Alberto Giacometti and the exhibitions on Medardo Rosso, Adolfo Wildt, 19th-century Sculpture, Giovanni Boldini and Francesco Hayez).

With thirty works including prestigious national and international loans from, among others, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and the National Gallery of Modern Art, the exhibition aims to document some of the salient aspects of Morbelli’s production, such as technical experimentation and the elaboration of certain themes to which the six sections of the itinerary are dedicated, again proposes the artist on the Milanese scene after many years of absence. There are seven sections in the exhibition, and they follow Angelo Morbelli’scareer from a chronological point of view but also with thematic insights: it starts from Monferrato, the land of which the Morbelli family was originally from; it follows the artist in his studies at Brera; it investigates the theme of “old men” that allowed him to experiment with a plurality of formal and compositional solutions, perfecting his pointillist technique; it examines his relationship with Milan and his deep attachment to the city; it continues with his sojourns in his homeland (to which he was always very attached), and ends with an in-depth look at his female figures and the maturity of his pointillist painting. The itinerary is completed by a number of comparison works that document the thematic, technical and compositional affinities between the artist and some of his contemporaries, such as Ernesto Bazzaro, Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo (with whom he shared years of friendship and long correspondence), Medardo Rosso, and Vittore Grubicy de Dragon.

The exhibition is sponsored by Comune di Milano | Cultura and conceived and produced by the Galleria d’Arte Moderna and is part of Milano Art Week (April 1-7), a schedule of the City of Milan dedicated to Modern and Contemporary Art, offering a series of dedicated meetings and guided tours. Open to the public from March 15 to June 16, it is staged in the ground-floor rooms of Villa Reale, which recently underwent a restoration that enhances the original decorations and floors also thanks to a renewed lighting system. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalog published by Silvana Editoriale, with essays by Paola Zatti, Giovanna Ginex, Aurora Scotti, Alessandro Oldani, Niccolò D’Agati, and Gianluca Poldi, and worksheets edited by Costanza Ballardini. The realization of the exhibition was able to count on the support of “Amis d’la Curma,” a cultural association whose goals include the enhancement of the figure of Angelo Morbelli and the Monferrato territory. For the past 15 years, the association has been reviving Villa Maria, Morbelli’s residence, with a work of recovery and research of objects that belonged to him in an evocative reconstruction of his studio.

Hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (closed Mondays), last admission one hour before closing. The exhibition is included in the museum entrance fee: full 5 euros, reduced 3 euros. Free admission on the first and third Tuesday of the month from 2 p.m. and every first Sunday of the month. A cumulative ticket offers free admission to all the Civic Museums for three days (one admission to each museum). On sale online (no presale fees) and at ticket offices for 12 euros.

Pictured: Angelo Morbelli, Le guglie del Duomo (1917; oil on canvas; Milan, Palazzo Morando)

GAM in Milan pays tribute to Angelo Morbelli on the centenary of his death

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